Photographer

Alicia Chow

Finalist in

Lower Primary Category

Written Statement

My grandfather loves gardening. On this morning, I watched him as he was looking after a fruit tree. He was wrapping brown paper bags around the fruit. He did this to protect them from things that might damage them like fruit flies, birds, strong wind and heavy rain. I imagine the fruits are like the things that are important to him – his family, friends, hopes and dreams, and the brown paper bags are like the love and care he shows them.

My grandfather is eighty-eight years old. He has been through many difficult and stormy times. Through these turbulent times he has learned to protect the people and things he holds dear and to appreciate each special moment in his life. He is happy and shares his happiness with those he loves. I hope the photos show how turbulence can bring challenges but it can also bring great rewards. We can grow and learn to recognise, take care of and really appreciate what is valuable to us. The photos were taken on different days.

For two of the photos, I used an automatic setting without any filters to keep the scenes natural.

For one other photo, I waited for a day when the wind was stronger. I played with the shutter speed and I really liked the way the photo came out because it looked like a painting of turbulence.